This invention relates to an apparatus for treating organic fluids by preparing a organic fluid charge, and treating the charge to prepare a conditioned charge in preparation for injecting the conditioned charge into a patient as part of a medical procedure.
Various treatments have been proposed for the treatment of mammalian blood ex vivo to condition the blood in some way before injecting the blood into a patient. Some procedures take blood from a patient, condition the blood, and then return the blood to the same patient continuously. These procedures contrast with procedures which require that the blood be taken from the patient to be treated as a batch and then returned to the patient. In batch processes there is the possibility that the blood will be given to the wrong patient as well as the dangers inherent in transferring blood from one location to another. Also, batch treatments are potentially hazardous because of the risk of blood contamination during the process of conditioning the blood and also because of the potential for infecting the operator accidentally.
The present invention is directed at the problems inherent in the batch process of treating mammalian blood.
A blood treatment process using batch treatment techniques involves three main steps. Firstly, the blood is sourced either from a donor or from a patient, who will also be the patient receiving the conditioned blood. The blood may be mixed with an anticoagulant and the blood charge must then be transferred to an apparatus used to condition the charge. Finally, the conditioned charge has to be collected and prepared for injection into the patient. These steps involve the use of needles (sharps), tubing, valves, syringes and ancillary parts and connectors. At every stage it is important to minimize risk so that the charge is moved and treated without contamination, and so that none of the charge comes into contact with the operator running the procedure.
Accordingly, it is among the objects of the present invention to provide a process and apparatus for receiving a blood charge, conditioning the charge, and preparing the conditioned charge for injecting into a patient while minimizing the risk of contamination and spillage.
In one of its aspects, the invention provides apparatus for conditioning mammalian blood for subsequent use in a medical procedure. The apparatus includes a cabinet having a secure environment and a door providing the only access to the environment. An input system is provided for transporting a blood charge from a source to the cabinet and a container is removably contained in the secure environment and coupled to the charge input system to receive the charge. Stressors are coupled to the cabinet and positioned for operation to create a conditioned charge in the container. An output system is coupled to the container and includes a receiver for the conditioned charge.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for eliminating gas bubbles from a syringe includes a syringe having a syringe outlet and a syringe operator, an actuator for moving the syringe operator, a tubing connected to the syringe outlet, and a sensor positioned adjacent the tubing for sensing when gas bubbles have been eliminated from the tubing.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for conditioning a organic fluid for subsequent use in a medical procedure includes a cabinet having a secure environment for conditioning of a organic fluid, an input system for transporting a organic fluid charge from a source to the cabinet, a container removably contained in the secure environment and coupled to the input system to receive the charge, stressors coupled to the cabinet and positioned for operation to create a conditioned charge in the container, an output system coupled to the container and including a receiver for the conditioned charge, and an apparatus sensing when gas bubbles are eliminated from the receiver including a sensor arranged for sensing when gas bubbles have been eliminated from the receiver.